Merlin MultiROM - Merlin is a direct replacement for the original EPROM board used in Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. It
includes Dragon's Lair rev. F2, Space Ace rev. A3, DLE, SAE, and optionally, DL2E. Merlin allows ROMs to be swapped by using the
joystick and button. For more information, check the LaserCon site.
Board Revisions - There are two different board revisions (revision A and revision C). Revision A PCBs have a serial number
below 6,000, and revision C PCBs have a serial number above 6,000. The revision C PCB arrived when the switch was made from revision D
EPROMs (five chip set) to revision E EPROMs (four chip set). This is also where the switch from the PR-7820 to the LD-V1000 laserdisc
player started. The older rev. A PCB can be modified to use the LD-V1000, and the newer rev. C PCB can be modified to use the
PR-7820. For instructions on this and a detailed look at the way both of these laserdisc players communicate with the main circuit board,
see Jeff Kulczycki's Logic Board Conversion.
Sometimes when the EPROMs were updated from a five chip set to a four chip set, the 5th chip, (now unneeded) was left in, making it harder later
on to narrow down what revision is installed. If your EPROMs are unlabeled, one way to test the revision is by changing DIP
switches. Revisions E, F & F2 can't do 4 coins per credit, so that setting makes a good test.
Changes in EPROM rev. E, F, & F2 - The switch for joystick feedback sound (B3) is discontinued and is now used to select the model of
disc player. If you are using a LD-V1000 player and set this switch in the PR-7820 position, the LD-V1000 will play the disc from beginning
to end after power-up, and the game will not function. If you are using a PR-7820 player and set this switch in the LD-V1000 position, the
game will not reach its second beep after power-up, and the screen will remain blank. (Note that along with the proper setting of switch B3,
the correct main circuit board appropriate for the disc player must also be installed for the game to work.)
The option for 4 coins per credit is discontinued, and this switch (A1) is now used for difficulty setting selection. The hard difficulty
level can be upgraded to very hard with this switch. Very hard difficulty is characterized by five specific scenes that have been
reprogrammed so that they require extremely critical (and occasionally abnormal) timing during gameplay. Complete details are in the
Dragon's Lair Walkthru. Aside from these specific, critical scenes,
the remaining scenes of the game will stay at the normal hard difficulty.
A setting of 2 coins per credit is not required for pay-as-you-go to function. In pay-as-you-go mode, the price to continue the game is the
same as the price per credit, either 2 or 3 coins. Note however, that if the game is set for pay-as-you-go at 3 coins per credit, the screen
graphics will incorrectly ask for only 2 coins, both during the attract mode to start the game and also at the interruption points.
In pay-as-you go mode, extra lives may be awarded after interruption points only if the game is set to begin with 3 lives.
The only difference between rev. F and F2 is a small change in chips U1 & U4 to correct a bug with the second move of the final scene. With
rev. F, making no move for the second move of the last scene will lock out the controls and throw the game into a loop which will continue playing the
laserdisc until the dragon's body hits the ground, at which point the game will detect the malfunction and reset itself to the attract mode.
European Versions - Dragon's Lair was licensed to Atari for production and manufacturing in Europe. The cabinet is very similar to
the Cinematronics release, but the hardware, including the laserdisc player, is totally different. Atari sub-licensed Dragon's Lair to Sidam
for production and manufacturing in Italy. Most of the hardware for the Sidam version is the same as the Atari version, but the
cabinet design is completely different. Both the Atari and Sidam versions of Dragon's
Lair use a video overlay for the score and lives rather than the score display PCB that is used in the Cinematronics version. Click on the
following links to see screen shots of the video overlay. Image 01 |
Image 02
Monitor Swap - If the monitor in your Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, or Thayer's Quest is not up to your liking, you can replace it with a 19"
TV. The Monitor to TV Swap page will show you everything you need to know.
68705 Bypass Mod - An update for older rev. A Dragon's Lair/Space Ace PCBs. See the
68705 Bypass Modification page for more information.
Volume Control Hack - Now you can adjust the volume of the joystick feedback sound in Dragon's Lair or Space Ace if it is too loud or soft
for your environment. Check out Shaun Wood's Dragon's Lair Volume Control Hack.
Interchangeability - Space Ace can be played in a Dragon's Lair cabinet simply by changing the laserdisc and the EPROMS
(and also ideally with the installation of the 3 skill level selection buttons for "Cadet", "Captain" & "Space Ace").
Engineering Mode - Engineering mode was designed to let the engineers play-test a scene without having to play through the whole game. To
learn more about this, see Jeff Kulczycki's info on the Engineering Mode for Dragon's Lair.
Initialization - Ever wonder what all those characters are in the score display of Dragon's Lair while the game boots up? Check out Jeff
Kulczycki's Dragon's Lair Initialization page.
LD-V1000 Boot Switch - A simple inexpensive way to build a switch that issues a play command to the LD-V1000 or LD-V1001. See the
LD-V1000 Boot Switch page.
